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Sometimes, when readers don’t write to us, we’re left trying to guess which questions you want the answers to but don’t ask. One way is to ask someone else you’ve been putting your questions to - like your doctor, your mum or your search engine. |
This is what happens when we try to find out your deepest darkest niggles about one product: gum.
It’s no wonder this tiny substance inspires such curiosity - there aren’t many things we humans put in their mouths without knowing if they’re animal vegetable or mineral - even if we do subsequently spit them out (don’t worry, we’ll tell you below what happens if you do attempt to digest the stuff).
We’ve got all the answers here, on one single page that doesn’t require endless open-in-new-tab curiosity clicks.
1. Does chewing gum make you hungry?
When a hormone called ghrelin increases in your blood, your stomach muscles contract and you feel hungry. So, most scientific studies have attempted to work out what happens to ghrelin when people chew gum. In August 2013, two scientists writing in Physiology Behavior found that “chewing had no significant effect on appetitive sensations”.
Those findings contradict a study of 115 men and women who chewed Extra sugar-free gum three times hourly and “reported significantly decreased feelings of hunger”. We’ve cynically discarded that for now after spotting that “the research was supported by a grant from the Wrigley Science Institute”.
2. Does chewing gum make you fat?
Let’s assume that eating patterns aren’t directly related to hunger (and bear in mind that the findings above could be wrong). Another study, in Eating Behaviors in April 2013 asked participants to chew gum before a meal to see how it affected their appetite for it and how much they ate. That study found that gnawing on some natural latex meant people ate more but less often.
Fewer meals (and extra jaw exercise) weren’t enough to offset the extra calories though. What’s more, the researchers found that mint-flavoured gum made fruits and vegetables taste worse and increased the likelihood of eating junk food.
3. Does chewing gum cause flatulence?
Let’s assume this isn’t just a typo of the question above - after all, who googles the word flatulence? Well, the National Health Service is hoping you will. Their advice site advises that chewing gum (as well as “smoking, sucking on pen tops or hard sweets or having loose fitting dentures”) can cause people to pass wind due to swallowing excess air. They offer solace in the fact that belching (burping) is a more likely side effect than breaking wind.
4. Does chewing gum make you smart?
Assuming this isn’t a failed attempt to google question 3, schools might be taking the wrong approach by outlawing the sticky stuff. This question has some of the most fascinating findings of the lot. Brain scans found that chewing gum activated the hippocampus (the part responsible for memory) - a finding that was corroborated elsewhere. Scientists have also found that it can improve alertness and even reduce stress.
5. Does chewing gum make your breath fresh?
Back to the NHS site which offers a relatively unambiguous answer here. “The chewing stimulates saliva and stops your mouth drying out. A dry mouth can lead to bad breath.” Though they also caution to use sugar-free gum and, er, brush your teeth.
6. What happens if I swallow it?
When your mastication (chewing) results in deglutition (swallowing) should you be frightened? Does it really stay in your stomach for seven years?
No. Some ingredients in chewing gum are indigestible (much the same as other things that we regularly eat like broccoli) but saliva will keep them moving through the digestive system until they meet their final destination. For a blockage to happen the digestive system has to be narrower (so parents’ worries about small children aren’t entirely unwarranted) or a vast amount of gum has to be swallowed.
All this research matters because this tiny product is big business. In a survey of thousands of adults, Kantar media found that chewing gum was most popular in Iran (where 82% of people chew it) followed by Saudi Arabia (79%) and the USA (59%).
Last year, global gum was valued at $26bn - that’s more than the world market for biometrics is worth (to choose an interesting albeit random comparison).